Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 344 – To Offer (5)

“Please… let me be close to my granddaughter. This old body begs you like this.”

The Holy Fire Priestess, with tears in her eyes, clasped her hands together and pleaded to the heretic monk Ja Geum-jeong, who was sitting on the driver’s seat, sipping from a gourd filled with alcohol.

‘She’s crying quite a bit.’

Ja Geum-jeong showed no interest in her yearning for her flesh and blood, not even giving her a glance, but inwardly, his heart softened.

Although he was capricious and overflowing with madness, it would be strange not to be swayed by an old woman crying out for her granddaughter.

However, the masked Ma Ra-hyeon coldly stopped him.

“If you don’t want a bone broken somewhere, it’s best not to move a single step from there.”

“You’re quite strict. Heheh.”

Ja Geum-jeong clicked his tongue at this.

Unlike him, Ma Ra-hyeon still held a grudge against the Holy Fire Priestess.

That’s why he was even less likely to be swayed by emotions.

“What’s the harm in letting her get close?”

“I’m just following orders.”

“Oh my. What a loyal subject you are.”

“…”

“By the way, that guy is quite peculiar.”

“What do you mean?”

Ma Ra-hyeon looked puzzled and turned his gaze to where Ja Geum-jeong gestured with his head.

There, Moo-jin was sitting comfortably with his eyes closed.

He didn’t seem to be practicing breathing techniques, so it was unclear what was so peculiar about him.

However, a glint flashed in Ma Ra-hyeon’s eyes as he stared intently at Moo-jin.

That’s because, despite his breathing not being as regular as when practicing breathing techniques, he could faintly feel energy gathering.

“Phew… Phew…”

As he had guessed, every time Moo-jin exhaled, natural energy was gathering little by little.

It was something that should be absolutely impossible according to the common sense of martial artists, but for him, who had inherited the bloodline of the Yoo Clan, it was like a natural constitution.

“Ahem.”

Moo-jin, who had been breathing, coughed.

Blood stained the corners of his mouth as he coughed.

Noticing this as he wiped it with the back of his hand, Moo-jin frowned.

‘What’s this? Why isn’t it resolving?’

His body was so sturdy that he rarely got injured from ordinary occurrences, but even if it happened, it would heal quickly due to his clan’s monstrous recovery ability.

However, judging by the stinging sensation, his heart hadn’t fully recovered.

He could tell that the cause was the strange evil nature felt around the wound, but it wasn’t dissipating as much as he had hoped.

‘Strange.’

Normally, if he rested for a bit, other energies that had entered his body would leave.

Even the energy that had flowed out from beneath the cliff had been expelled quickly.

However, this evil nature remained, continuing to aggravate the wound and hinder his recovery.

‘…Should I return to the valley?’

It seemed to be a problem he couldn’t solve on his own.

With a sigh, Moo-jin opened his eyes.

But then…

-Flinch!

Moo-jin looked towards the Tang Clan’s estate with narrowed eyes.

He had tried to turn off his senses to focus on recovery, but the screams he had been hearing were now spreading like a scene from hell.

What on earth was happening?

‘Didn’t he clearly say he would clarify the relationship of grudges?’

But why were there so many people suffering?

Feeling uneasy at the sound, Moo-jin soon stood up.

***

How did this happen?

Tang Clan Leader Tang In-hae couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He had clearly seen with his own eyes that Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t escape the range.

He had been certain that no matter how supreme a master was, they wouldn’t be able to avoid the Poison Origin Extreme, the ultimate secret technique of the Formless Poison Technique, due to its incredibly wide range and fast spreading speed.

But why was the bastard unaffected?

‘What’s going on?’

Was he enduring the poisonous energy of the Formless Poison with his profound true energy?

No matter how high a level of internal mastery one had, unless they reached the realm of a poison master, they couldn’t withstand it to this extent.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.

“Is this the Formless Poison you used to kill my grandfather?”

Tang In-hae’s eyes narrowed.

It was all a bluff.

If he had witnessed the tremendous power of this Formless Poison Technique, he should have moved to quickly deal with Tang In-hae, but he wasn’t moving a single step from where he stood.

That meant he was definitely fighting against the Formless Poison.

“You’re putting on a show.”

“A show?”

“Do you think I don’t know that you’re barely enduring it with your internal energy?”

Perhaps this was an opportunity.

Tang In-hae tried to push the ground with both hands to launch himself towards Mok Gyeong-un.

However, when he tried to push with his hands…

-Thud! Thud!

His body didn’t listen to him.

Not only had he used all his strength, but he had also drawn upon his remaining energy to unleash the secret technique Poison Origin Extreme, so perhaps due to the aftereffects, his remaining energy couldn’t circulate properly.

‘No other choice.’

It didn’t matter.

Even if it wasn’t him, there were plenty of others to take his place.

This place was the Tang Clan’s stronghold, after all.

Thus, Tang In-hae shouted towards the Tang Clan warriors.

“This is our chance! Strike him!”

However…

‘!?’

Despite his order as the Clan Leader, neither the Tang Clan executives nor any of the warriors showed any intention of moving.

“What are you doing! He’s been afflicted by the Formless Poison and can’t even move. Strike him now!”

“…”

There was no response to his urging.

Rather, the Tang Clan warriors were looking elsewhere with stiff expressions.

Seeing their reaction, Tang In-hae was dumbfounded.

Were they going to miss this golden opportunity?

Why wasn’t anyone stepping forward…

-Clap clap clap!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un clapped his hands and spoke in an admiring tone.

“Impressive.”

“What?”

“Sacrificing so many clan members just to kill that one person. Isn’t this what they call burning down the house to catch a flea?”

‘!!!!!!’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s mocking words, Tang In-hae’s eyes wavered.

He had unleashed the secret technique with the sole intention of killing Mok Gyeong-un, so he hadn’t paid attention to anything else.

But the moment he heard Mok Gyeong-un’s words, he suddenly became aware of his surroundings.

The Tang Clan members, melting away and dying miserably due to the Formless Poison.

The expressions and gazes of the other Tang Clan members watching them were changing from dejection to anger.

“I… I…”

Realizing the hateful gazes of the Tang Clan members directed at him at some point, Tang In-hae found it difficult to even know where to look.

‘Why… Why are they looking at me like that…’

If they were disappointed because of those who were sacrificed, he could understand.

However, this was the only way.

This bastard would not spare anything related to Tang In-hae, who had killed Jang Mun-no of the Haeyeong Sect, who had raised him.

That’s why if he could subdue the bastard with the deaths of a few, it would have been a valuable sacrifice.

But why did no one understand him?

Why couldn’t they think rationally and see…

“The expression of feeling wronged is quite a sight. Are you expecting understanding after abandoning and killing your clan members with your own hands?”

“You!”

-Gnash!

Tang In-hae gritted his teeth and turned his head to glare at Mok Gyeong-un.

It was all because of that bastard.

None of this would have happened if that bastard hadn’t appeared.

Driven to the edge by the hatred and resentment of the Tang Clan members, whom he had considered his blood relatives and family, all of Tang In-hae’s anger was directed at Mok Gyeong-un.

“Yes. Everything happened because you showed up.”

“Now you’re blaming me.”

“You bastard.”

Trembling with rage, Tang In-hae finally gathered his remaining energy.

And he launched himself towards Mok Gyeong-un.

-Whoosh!

“Die!”

The bastard who couldn’t even move while enduring the Formless Poison dared to mock the Clan Leader?

Fine. Since it had come to this, I’ll take you with me as my final companion.

It didn’t matter if no one understood.

However…

-Thud!

Tang In-hae’s body, which had launched forward, suddenly stopped in midair.

It was as if someone had grabbed him.

‘!?’

Tang In-hae’s eyes widened.

What was happening?

He had thought that the bastard wouldn’t be able to move while enduring the Formless Poison.

-Step!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un took a step forward.

-Step!

And he took another step.

No, he was continuously walking towards him.

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un walking casually, Tang In-hae couldn’t believe it.

“H-How?”

“Now I understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“From a young age, my grandfather fed me various medicinal herbs and poisonous plants. At that time, I ate them without knowing any better, but at some point, he told me that my blood had become the epitome of deadly poison.”

“…Blood… becoming deadly poison?”

At those words, Tang In-hae displayed an expression of disbelief.

Naturally, the bodies of those who cultivated poisonous techniques had some accumulation of poisonous energy.

However, no matter how long one had cultivated poison and had talent in it, the human body was inherently incompatible with poison, so they also had to cultivate detoxifying energy to counteract it.

To avoid being consumed by the poison.

“Impossible. Blood possessing toxicity…”

[When poisonous techniques reach the ultimate level, and one can freely control poisonous energy, that state is called a poison master. But is that really the end? What do you all think?]

It was a question posed by Tang Yeon-jong, the Thousand Poison Hands, the Clan Leader from two generations ago, while giving his final teachings a few days before his duel with Baek-yu, the master of the Ten Thousand Poisons.

In response to this question, Tang In-hae’s father, the previous Clan Leader, answered.

[Isn’t the constitution that can internalize ten thousand poisons, the Ten Thousand Poison Pool Body, the true end?]

[That is literally a deformed constitution that may appear once in a thousand years. It’s not a realm that can be achieved through human effort.]

[…]

[Are there no other answers?]

[…]

No one could answer his question.

At that time, that guy, Jang Mun-no, stepped forward.

[Yes. What do you think?]

[Since resistance also requires opposition, if everything that constitutes the body gradually adapts and becomes close to poison, wouldn’t that be the real poison master?]

[Oh? The body’s composition becoming close to poison?]

[For example, what if even the blood flowing in the body becomes poison?]

At his words, Tang In-hae and all the main family members eligible for succession in the Tang Clan sneered.

If that were possible, who wouldn’t have done it?

The human body couldn’t become poison itself.

It could become a structure that endured or adapted to poison, but becoming close to poison itself was an impossibility.

Until now, he had believed that.

However…

“That can’t be. How can the flowing blood become poison itself? It’s absolutely impossible…”

-Grip!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his mouth.

Then, he spoke in a menacing voice.

“If it’s hard to believe, it would be good to experience it once.”

“Wh… What…”

-Grip!

Mok Gyeong-un tightly clenched his fist, causing the flesh to sink in.

Then, thick blood flowed out.

“Wh… What are you doing?”

Mok Gyeong-un let the blood flowing from his clenched fist drip into Tang In-hae’s mouth, which he had forcibly opened.

The blood flowed into Tang In-hae’s mouth.

He wanted to spit it out, but he couldn’t stop it from flowing down his throat as Mok Gyeong-un was gripping his mouth.

As the blood flowed down his throat and entered his esophagus…

-Sizzle!

The pain of his esophagus burning came.

Tang In-hae’s eyes wavered crazily.

‘I-Impossible.’

It was really poison.

How did blood become poison itself?

He couldn’t believe it.

But what shocked him even more was…

“Ack ack!”

He had prided himself on being immune to any poison after mastering the Formless Poison Technique.

However, the deadly poison that had entered through his esophagus rapidly induced poisoning symptoms in his body, and it was so agonizing that he couldn’t endure it.

But then, a bizarre event occurred.

-Pop! Pop!

Starting from Tang In-hae’s face, the blood vessels on his entire body swelled up and eventually burst.

It didn’t end there.

A strange sound of bones snapping could be heard from inside his body.

-Crack! Crunch!

“Aaaaargh!”

It was so painful that Tang In-hae couldn’t help but scream like a madman.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un released his grip on Tang In-hae’s mouth and stepped back about three steps.

It was to observe his condition.

“Urgh…”

Tang In-hae’s body, which had fallen to the ground, was twisting grotesquely.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

After mastering the Destructive Demon Poison Scripture, the poisonous energy in his body had indeed become stronger, but poisoning symptoms didn’t occur in this manner.

However, Tang In-hae’s blood vessels were bursting, and even his bones were twisting.

“Ack!”

-Crunch!

With his bones twisting to the point of protruding here and there, Tang In-hae looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

His eyes seemed to be pleading for his life.

Seeing him like this, Mok Gyeong-un curled the corners of his mouth bitterly.

“I thought it was my role to kill you, but it seems that’s not the case.”

‘!?’

Wh-What are you saying now?

It’s not your role?

At that moment, Tang In-hae suddenly recalled the words Jang Mun-no had said.

[You won’t tell me where you hid it until the end?]

[Cough… Cough…]

[Do you think I won’t be able to find it even if you act like this?]

[Cough cough… For the sake of old times, I’m telling you. Don’t… touch… that child. All that… resentment… will eventually… come back to you.]

‘!!!!!’

At that time, he had dismissed it as a dying man spewing curses.

But those were not just empty words.

The poison contained in this bastard’s blood was in complete opposition (相克) to him.

That’s why his body was failing to endure it even more.

‘Jang… Mun-no!’

-Crunch! Crunch!

With his blood vessels bursting and bones twisting, Tang In-hae’s neck finally snapped, and he breathed his last.

Watching his miserable end with a dispassionate gaze, Mok Gyeong-un looked up at the sky and muttered.

“You had it all planned out.”